FanGraphs Audio

Episode 1014

On this week’s show, we discuss the new rules on display in spring training before reacting to Manny Machado’s new extension.

Jay Jaffe is joined by Dan Szymborski as they welcome back baseball, now with a pitch clock and bigger bases. The pair discuss the effects of these changes, such as the clock’s impact on relievers vs. starters, as well as the challenges they can create when it comes to projecti...

Episode 1013

It’s Prospect Week at FanGraphs, so our scouting department shares how the prospect list sausage is made before we hear from a fellow ranker who is now on the team side.

• To start things off, lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen is joined by contributor Tess Taruskin to celebrate making it through Prospect Week and to shine a light on how the Top 100 was made. The duo walk through a ranking exercise, using ...

Episode 1012

On this edition of the pod, we talk to a player/analyst in the Cardinals system before hearing the story of how our RosterResource guru got here.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Ryan Loutus, a 24-year-old right-hander who went undrafted out of a D-III school and now finds himself in the Cardinals’ big league camp. Loutos has impressed on the mound, but he has also been a big contributor off th...

Episode 1011

This week, we sit down with one of the bright baseball minds in Baltimore before getting our lead prospect analyst’s backstory.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Sig Mejdal, vice president and assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Mejdal tells us about breaking into baseball with the Cardinals, and what his day-to-day with Mike Elias and former podcast guest Eve Rosenbaum is like. ...

Episode 1010

On this week’s show, we consider the career of a potential Hall of Famer before getting to know one of our writers better.

• With Joe Mauer destined for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame and set to arrive on the Cooperstown ballot for the first time this year as well, Jay Jaffe felt it appropriate to chat with Dan Hayes of The Athletic about the hometown hero. Jay and Dan discuss how stellar Mauer was despite a...

Episode 1009

This week, we reflect on the recent Hall of Fame election results before catching up with a top Pirates prospect.

• First up, Jay Jaffe welcomes Ryan Thibodaux, who leads the team at the Hall of Fame Ballot Tracker, to discuss Scott Rolen’s enshrinement and the wild day leading up to it. Ryan has worked on the Tracker for a decade now, but this is somehow the first time he and Jay have had a non-text conversat...

Episode 1008

In this episode, we get insight from a professional run-creator before turning the tables on our favorite interviewer.

• In the first half, David Laurila welcomes Donnie Ecker, bench coach and offensive coordinator for the Texas Rangers, to the program. Ecker, who David also interviewed last year, shares what it’s like to work with manager Bruce Bochy, associate manager Will Venable, and director of hitting Co...

Episode 1007

This week on the pod, we pair a veteran reliever with a young star before interviewing one of our own fresh faces.

• To start things off, David Laurila welcomes Spencer Strider and Andrew Miller back to the show. Strider and Miller had not officially met before, but they quickly hit it off, discussing growing up as fans of each others’ club, what kind of music they like, and what a good teammate Josh Tomlin is...

Episode 1006

In the first show of 2023, we welcome back a beat writer friend to talk Cardinals before introducing a new series on the podcast.

• At the top of the program, David Laurila is joined by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (and The Best Podcast in Baseball), who last appeared on episode 903. The duo discuss whether Nolan Arenado deserves the title of the best all-around player in the National League, while c...

Episode 1005

This episode, we welcome back another old friend who is casting their first Hall of Fame ballot, then talk about the most surprising free agent move in recent memory.

• We begin with Jay Jaffe and David Laurila continuing their new annual tradition of discussing their Hall of Fame ballots on the podcast, and this time they are joined by Travis Sawchik, baseball author and writer at theScore. Travis is voting for the...

Episode 1004

This week, we talk to the man in charge of an on-the-rise franchise before discussing the international market and a puzzling trade.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners. We hear his thoughts on the wild spending going on around the league this offseason, as well some acquisitions Seattle has made recently, including Teoscar Hernánde...

Episode 1003

After a big week in baseball, we bring you two face-to-face conversations from the San Diego Winter Meetings before a chat about outfield defense.

• First up, David Laurila sits down with Fernando Perez, former major league outfielder and analyst and current coach for the San Francisco Giants. We hear what Fernando was doing at the Winter Meetings and what he and Farhan Zaidi talk about in the suite (it mostly isn&#...

Episode 1002

This week on the show, we welcome a long-time major leaguer to chat about the World Cup before going over some recent moves and looking ahead to the Winter Meetings.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Brad Miller, a 10-year major league veteran and a big soccer fan. The pair talk about the World Cup games that have gotten them the most excited so far, the players and countries they find themselves root...

Episode 1001

Hot Stove season is upon us and we are ready to start picking apart transactions, but not before we talk about the Kansas City Royals.

• To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes Joel Goldberg, broadcaster and reporter for the Royals. David didn’t put Bobby Witt Jr. on his AL Rookie of the Year ballot this year, but he and Joel discuss how the best is certainly yet to come for the young phenom. The pair also ...

Episode 1000

That’s right, we have reached our four-digit milestone. Look back through the years with us before we look to the future (or at least this upcoming offseason).

• It would be impossible to fully encapsulate all 1,000 episodes of FanGraphs Audio, but this producer put together 22 minutes of great memories. Going all the way back to the very first episode (published February 8, 2010), we hear plenty of former lon...

Episode 999

This week on the pod, the most Philadelphia pairing we have on staff comes together to break down the World Series so far.

Michael Baumann is fresh off covering Games 3 and 4 of the World Series in person, and he welcomes lead prospect analyst and old Crashburn Alley pal Eric Longenhagen to discuss what it was like to see the Phillies get no-hit on the largest stage. The pair have mostly grown out of their fandom as the...

Episode 998

Just in time for the World Series, we welcome back an author who recently wrote a book on the subject before talking to a prospect in the Arizona Fall League.

• To start the show, Jay Jaffe welcomes Tyler Kepner, baseball writer at The New York Times and author of The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series, back to the show. The pair discuss what inspired the book, the hundreds of interviews that went into it,...

Episode 997

With four teams remaining in the postseason, this week we put our fan hats on before meeting a talented new FanGraphs contributor.

• In the first segment, resident Phillies fan Michael Baumann is joined by site Padres fan Jason Martinez to discuss the NLCS. Jason was at the first two games in San Diego, while Michael will be at each of the next three in Philly; neither expected their team to get this far. We hear abo...

Episode 996

We bring you a trio of AL East-flavored interviews this week as we find ourselves in the middle of the divisional playoff round.

• At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Eve Rosenbaum, assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles. The former director of baseball development, Rosenbaum shares how her responsibilities have changed in her new role as she puts much more focus on the major league club. We a...